Cutting watermelon into stars is easy. Once you trim the melon and cut it into slices, all you need is a star-shaped cookie cutter to stamp those stars out. After the stars are cut out, here are a couple of fun ways to use them:

3 Ways to Use Watermelon Stars

Fruit Skewers: Alternate blueberries, watermelon stars, and strawberries on bamboo skewers. Serve arranged on a platter with a bowl of vanilla yogurt or whipped cream for dipping.

Cocktail Garnish: Float the watermelon stars in a wine spritzer such as our 4th of July Sparklers, or add to any summer sangria.

Fruit Salad: Combine watermelon stars with slices of starfruit, kiwi, and a squeeze of honey and lime juice. Toss briefly and serve for a light summer dessert.

Place the watermelon on a cutting board.

How To Cut Watermelon Stars

Makes about 10 cups of sliced melon.

What You Need

Ingredients
One medium seedless watermelon (about 5 pounds)

Equipment
Large cutting board
Chef's knife
Star-shaped cookie cutter

Instructions

Cut the watermelon in half: Place the watermelon on a cutting board. Use a chef's knife to cut the watermelon in half.

Flip the watermelon cut-side down: Working with one half of the watermelon at a time, flip the watermelon half cut-side down on the cutting board.

Trim away the rind: Use a chef's knife to cut away a slice of the rind, just down to the pink flesh. Continue making slices around the watermelon to remove all of the rind. Trim off any remaining bits of rind to leave just the edible portion of the watermelon.

Cut the watermelon into 1/2 to 1-inch slices.

Punch out stars with the cookie cutter: Separate the slices. Use a cookie cutter to cut the watermelon slices into stars.

Repeat with the other half of the watermelon: Repeat steps 3 through 9 with remaining the remaining half of the melon.

Recipe Notes

There's no reason to throw away the excess fruit once you've made your watermelon stars. Blend it into an agua fresca, or cut it into bite-size pieces for a fruit salad.